Happy Place: Cannon Beach

I believe we all have a little 'happy places' that we go to in our minds. A visual in our mind of someone we love dearly, a place, a sound, a smell that goes along with that dreamy happy place that brings a sense of joy, comfort and peace. For some, it may be true that Disneyland is the Happiest Place on Earth with its long lines full of anxious daredevils, squeals of children's laughter, or aroma of popcorn. For others, a tropical island, sports park, golf course, or shopping mall.

I have a few of those happy places. This morning my mind was here: Cannon Beach, Oregon. I can't remember the last time I visited this beautiful place, but the reason it's one of my happy places is because it was clearly one of Jesse's happy places. I think of Jesse several times each day, some days more than others but he is never far from my mind or heart. There's pictures of him standing here, smiling so handsomely. He loved to visit Cannon Beach. Sometimes I wonder what went through his mind as he visited and swam in these waters. What was he thinking of when he looked out at this beautiful view? What were his hopes, his dreams, his passions behind that smile? The memories of talking to him over the phone on his visits here are slowly aging with time in my mind. Yet the sight of these mighty rocks with the mist over the water and the expanse of mountainous trees makes me feel as if I'm standing right on the sand listening to the waves crash along the rocks and seagulls flying overhead with a morning scent of ocean breezes filling the air, looking out at this breathtaking view standing next to Jesse...a happy place to be!

I read a cute article the other night written by a reporter who went back to her childhood homeland of Oregon to run a marathon that ended with a lap inside the University of Oregon stadium. Her route brought her down memory lane, each mile landmark a new flashback to her personal history of where she grew up and had spent so much time. Memories that she now looked back on with fondness as she ran one step in front of the other. She started the article quite like how I feel when I think of these happy places in my life, "Dorothy was right - there's no place like home. I haven't lived in Oregon since I was 12 years old, but a piece of my heart will always reside there."